Kitchen

Pasta coi carciofi
(Pasta with artichokes)

Ingredients (4 servings):

2 - 3 large artichokes
500g spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 dl dry white wine
salt and pepper

Squeeze juice from lemon halves into a bowl; add lemon halves. Fill bowl with water. Starting at base, bend leaves back and snap off where they break naturally, continuing until all tough outer leaves have been removed. Using a small sharp knife, trim outside of base until smooth and no dark green areas remain. Cut artichokes in half lengthwise, cut out any choke. Add to lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes. Then cut them into 2mm strips.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan. Add shallots and garlic to oil; cook until shallots are tender (about 5 minutes), turning occasionally.
Add artichokes to saucepan and sauté for three minutes; add white wine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook about 10 minutes at medium heat, turning occasionally.

Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until "al dente" (just tender but still firms to bite), stirring occasionally. Drain. Add pasta to saucepan and stir together with artichokes. Divide pasta among plates and serve.

Variation: before transferring pasta to saucepan add 2dl of cream and cook three minutes.


Gattò
(Potato Soufflé)

Ingredients (about 5 servings):

1Kg mashed potatoes
200g smoked provola cheese
100g mozzarella cheese
50g Gruyère
100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
150g mortadella
some breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

Cut the cheeses and the mortadella into little cubes. Stir together the mashed potatoes, provola cheese, mozzarella cheese, Gruyère, Parmesan cheese, eggs, mortadella, salt and pepper. Butter a casserole and cover with some breadcrumbs. Carefully spoon the mixture into the casserole and bake in the oven at 2500C for 45 minutes or until the soufflé is golden brown.


Orata in crosta ticinese
(Bream fillet in crust of chestnuts)

Ingredients:

2 bream fillets
300g chestnuts flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 clove of garlic
½ teaspoon olive oil
some big ground pepper
some ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt and add the ice water a little at time until you are able to just make a ball; form two balls. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out each ball of dough to form two 25cm diameter disks of chestnuts crust. Butter a baking-pan and line it with one crust. Put one bream fillet on the crust, add the pepper and the garlic and cover with the other fillet; brush the fish with the olive oil. Cover with the second disk of chestnuts crust, sealing with a little water. Bake for 25 minutes in the oven at 230C.


Bread Pie
(Torta di pane)

Ingredients:

1 litre milk
300 grams stale bread
150 grams raisins
150 grams sugar
80 grams candied orange and lemon peels
50 grams pine-seeds
10 grams vanilla sugar
5 amaretti (or 5 almond cookies), crushed
5 ml grappa (or 5 ml brandy)
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 ½ tablespoon flour
1 egg
1 lemon (juice and rind)
½ teaspoon salt
10 grams butter (to butter the baking pan)

Cut the bread to small pieces. In a large bowl, pour one litre of boiling milk on the bread and set aside until cold (but at least two hours), stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 180° C. Wash the raisins, dry them and dust with flour. Rind and squeeze the lemon.

Combine all the ingredients and add them to the mixture of bread and milk. Blend gradually with your hands and mix to a smooth paste (do not use a mixer!).

Pour into a buttered circular baking pan (24 cm) and bake for 2 - 2 ½ hours, until pie springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool completely and serve at room temperature.